defective winchester primers

Spacedone · Member Joined: Nov 04, 2005 Posts: 266 Location: missouri

hey all i got a batch of week cased winchester primers, i load several rounds at min capacity and fire them and get firing pin holes punched thru the primer back. it hasnt affected the accuracy or hurt my gun but it is bothering.

i switched to cci primers when my gunshop told me they have a thicker cover.

anyone else have this issue?

some from the 100 pack get holes punched in them and some dont at min starting loads. so far iver gotten 300 bad ones from a case of 1000

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

Have you contacted Winchester? Sounds like something they should know about... and probably replace your lot for free.

-DallanC

roklok · Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2006 6:19 pm Post subject: Re: defective winchester primers

I have seen the same thing happen with factory Norma ammo in a Rem 700 .223,every other round or so the primer would be pierced. It was fine with other ammo though.

Vince · Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2006 6:28 pm Post subject: Re: defective winchester primers

DallanC wrote:

Have you contacted Winchester? Sounds like something they should know about... and probably replace your lot for free.

-DallanC

Gidday Spacedone. I agree with Dallan. It is something that you should report to Winchester if for no other reason than finding out why it is happening. There may or may not be a safety issue there as well.

I know that Winchester Australia are great with replacing defective merchandise. I bought a couple packs of 100 packs of 30.30 cases and found a couple in each pack were malformed. I contacted them to let them know and they sent me another 200 without me even asking.

Make sure you give them all available and relevant information like lot numbers etc. Well worth the exercise.

Cheers, Vince

Gil Martin · Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2006 6:34 pm Post subject: Winchester Primers

Have not encountered this problem with Winchester primers and have used them for everything since 1992. Before that I used CCI primers for 20 years without a hitch. All the best...
Gil

freedyf · Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2006 8:50 pm Post subject: Re: defective winchester primers

I generally reload with CCI primers, never had a reason to change. I have used some Winchester primers when I couldn't immediately get some CCI primers. Never noticed any difference in accuracy. Anyone have different experiences.. I thought just about a primer is a primer is a primer. Freedy

1895ss · Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 5:15 pm Post subject: Re: defective winchester primers

I use mostly CCI primers now but years ago I had a batch of Remington LR primers that were just a tad on the small side. I noticed that they seemed to seat easy when reloading. I was working up a load in my 25-06 and shot off a dozen or so rounds when I realized that on a couple of primers that gases had leaked by them. I checked my bolt and noticed a couple very very tiny holes burned into the face of it. Of course I didn't shoot anymore and took them back to the gunshop where I bought them and they told me they had another batch with the same problem. I have never used Remington primers since. I have one load in one of my guns that I use a Winchester Magnum primer in, other than that I use CCI in everything.

vandergrift · Rookie Member Joined: Jan 04, 2006 Posts: 3

over the years the only problem I have had was with some Remington primers. They simply would not go off, or if they did, they would produce a hangfire, or a very light load and fail to burn most of the powder. Remington replaced them, but I lost all of the other componants in the 1000 shell I had loaded. Sometimes some primer fit tighter in the primer pocket than others. This occurs with the same brands of primers. Seems like they have not done a very good job of keeping all primers the same size.

1895ss · Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 6:23 pm Post subject: Re: defective winchester primers

vandergrift wrote:

Sometimes some primer fit tighter in the primer pocket than others. This occurs with the same brands of primers. Seems like they have not done a very good job of keeping all primers the same size.

I've never had that problem after switching to CCI primers many years ago. Smile

Dimitri · Super Member Joined: Nov 25, 2005 Posts: 5946

So for me to recap what was said,

CCI is good.

Remington is bad.

Is that what this is getting at ?? Confused

Dimitri

shrpshtrjoe · Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 6:35 pm Post subject: Re: defective winchester primers

Howdy. I have never used rem primers, I have used win primers (209) in the muzzleloader with out any problems. For my rifles I have used CCI for about 20 years and for the past 5 years CCI Bench Rest primers and have never had a issue with either.
Joe

1895ss · Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:01 pm Post subject: Re: defective winchester primers

Dimitri wrote:

So for me to recap what was said,CCI is good. Remington is bad. Is that what this is getting at ?? Confused

Dimitri

I have not had a problem with CCI primers in 20 plus years, nor have I had a problem with Winchester primers. Because I have used so many (1000's) CCI primers in the 25 plus years of reloading, I tell people new to reloading to use CCI primers if they ask. Smile

Bushmaster · Last edited by Bushmaster on Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:19 pm; edited 1 time in total

We won't go into the amount of Winchester and CCI primers that I have gone through in the last 20 years...But I will say that I have not ever had one that didn't make the cartridge go "BOOM!!!"

Vince · Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:13 pm Post subject: Re: defective winchester primers

I use Federal primers in all my centrefire rifles and CCI in my O/U 12g. I started using Federal in my pistols about 25 years ago because they are a little softer and are more reliable in a tuned action with a light trigger (or hammer fall). I have used Winchester on a couple of occasions and have not had a problem with them. Have also used Vitavouri primers in the past......now they are a bloody hard primer, but they work well.

Never used Remingtons myself and I have never heard of any mates having problems. However, is there a possibility that the problems some have had with the Remingtons was due to stretched primer pockets caused by hot loads or too many reloads for the case? Have had that problem in the past with .357 cases that had been loaded many times. Any primer that seated too easily I would removed and measure the primer pocket. It had usually stretched.

Cheers, Vince

1895ss · Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:31 pm Post subject: Re: defective winchester primers

Vince wrote:

Never used Remingtons myself and I have never heard of any mates having problems. However, is there a possibility that the problems some have had with the Remingtons was due to stretched primer pockets caused by hot loads or too many reloads for the case? Have had that problem in the past with .357 cases that had been loaded many times. Any primer that seated too easily I would removed and measure the primer pocket. It had usually stretched.Cheers, Vince

Vince, this was new brass at the time, no stretched primer pockets. My last batch of 200 WW brass was loaded 6 times before I thought it best to throw it away, not that I was having problems. I generally chuck brass after 6 loadings. I do not load "hot". Maybe good and "warm" but not "hot" in my 25-06. Very Happy

That being said, I have some 45-70 (crowbar to Bushmaster) Very Happy

loads that are close to "hot". Dang hard on the old shoulder too.:D Very Happy